Drift Ice Finally Shows Up in Abashiri

What we call the “first day of the drift ice (流氷初日)” finally came to Abashiri, too, on February 2. It was a very windy and snowy day and probably for that reason the drift ice belt showed up on the horizon from the north.

It was just a white “line” on the horizon, still about 25km away from shore, but it was good enough to liven up the town and make us all happy.

According to the Meteorological Agency the “first day of the drift ice” was 11 days later than the average years.